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When I was a kid, they drilled into me that I had to be nice and share. Entering adulthood was whiplash.
This reminds me of a few rules of acquisition.
111: Treat people in your debt like family… exploit them.
211: Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success. Don’t hesitate to step on them.
SCAM ALERT!!!
Someone will hire you to “create wealth through hard work” but then take most of that wealth for themselves. This has happened to me and some of my friends too. Watch out!
Maybe if people stopped lying to each other?
Working isn’t necessarily being exploited though.
I have a great boss for a small company. Last year we got pay rises and a reduction in hours at the same time. Don’t feel I’m being exploited, it’s quite the opposite as works comes second to our health.
I’ve lost track of how much sick time I’ve had due to mental health etc. we are not giving targets or micromanaged or anything like that.
Under capitalism, it is almost by definition. Glad you’re having a better time than the rest of us, but your personal anecdote is irrelevant to society at large.
You would not be employed if it wasn’t profitable. Which also means the surplus value of your labor, above and beyond what you’re being compensated for, is going to your employer. That’s exploitation. It’s mandatory in most employment under capitalist economics.
I understand the surplus value argument and I’m not dismissing it, within that framework you’re technically correct. But reducing all employment to exploitation by definition flattens a meaningful distinction between a worker being genuinely mistreated and one who isn’t.
My point wasn’t that capitalism is perfect or that my experience is universal. It was that employment isn’t inherently exploitative in the lived sense, conditions, power dynamics, and how surplus is distributed all matter. A framework that calls everything exploitation equally makes it harder to identify and fight actual exploitation where it’s causing real harm.
“Ferengi workers don’t want to stop the exploitation. We want to find a way to become the exploiters.” – Rom
“Suit yourself. But I don’t see you exploiting anyone.” – Bashir
… And then Rom sets up the first Ferengi Workers Union, and wins.
It’s so simple! Why didn’t anyone else think of this?!
You can own a company with no employees other than yourself and only one house.
or i could just find some people to start a co-op with??
Altogether all together.
I’m interested in anarchism, but the thing is, I have yet to get a satisfactory answer to, ‘‘is that even likely in this lifetime?’’. It’s just swiftly dismissed as ‘‘boo doomer’’.
If it’s not likely in my lifetime (which seems to be the case), I don’t see why I’d invest attention, even if I see it as ideal.
The ultimate reality is nothing is likely in your lifetime except societal collapse from climate change.
What you do next is up to you, there is no saviour or solution coming. There is doing the best you can today, and trying to build up local community, skills, and bonds that may help you.
I’d have said, “then I’m not interested in this” until I read the last line. I suppose it’s beneficial insofar as one can set up mutually beneficial communities etc.
Yup, we can’t change or save the world and it’s okay to recognise that. As long as we understand we can improve where we are now and today.
And who knows, maybe a million small changes in everyone’s local area can lead to a larger global change.
so what you’re effectively saying here is “why should i bother if i won’t personally profit from it”, which i’m not sure is something you can be reasoned out of.
We should work toward anarchy because it’s the ring thing to do, if we don’t do it then who will? It’s like voting, if you don’t vote for a small but good party then who will?
I don’t vote either.
It’s funny that these posts are blocking my Mullvad ip
What do you mean?
The problem with this idea is that, while being obviously correct, it’s a lot easier to become a landlord than to overthrow a worldwide economic system.
